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Each NFL team will be allowed to carry 10 players on their practice squad in 2014 and 2015 — up from eight last season. Teams will start filling out their practice squad on Aug. 31 — one day after teams are forced to cut their roster down from 75 to 53 players.

The added practice squad spots will allow players who already have accrued two NFL seasons to have eligibility. Players previously lost practice squad eligibility after playing in nine or more games in one season.

Players can stay on a practice squad for up to three seasons. Players must stay on the scout team for six games to accrue one practice squad season.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday that he might decide to keep around players who have projects for down the line.

“I think keeping those guys in the system, it’s probably a lot of the same guys that are going to be signed,” Belichick said Tuesday at Gillette Stadium. “The only reason they weren’t on the practice squad last year was because they weren’t eligible, not because they weren’t wanted but they just, by rule, you couldn’t do it. I would imagine a lot of those guys would show up there.”

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